When the Champions Tour opens their season in 2011, they will be contesting what has been introduced as the first new major of the year. The Regions Tradition will be held at Shoal Creek, near Birmingham, Alabama on the 5th to the 8th of May, 2011. This tournament incorporates three main elements which will show why it has been chosen as a major championship. It enjoys the Region Financial Corporation’s name as well as the logo of the historical Shoal Creek and finally it has the prestigious Lyle Anderson Trophy, which will be awarded to the champion of the event.

This new major was designed with the collabrorative efforts of all three of the main elements. Led by the Tour and along with the imput from Regions Financial Corporation, who is the title sponsor, and finally Shoal Creek, which is the host site of the championship. When you see the new logo for the event, you will notice that it is reminiscent of a classic golf logo. The Lyle Anderson Trophy contain the word marks for Regions and Shoal Creek in the center, which represents the symbol of the award. It also contains the identity of Regions brand with their light and dark green colors. Finally, pewter has been added as third color to reflect the trophy.

The philosophy behind the Regions pyramid of making life better is symbolized in the company’s signature green color scheme, and the three points of the pyramid is also a representation of those they serve, all of their associates and customers and communities. With the base of the trophy’s radiating the color of the pewter, the pyramid creates five sections, which is representative of the Region’s five values. They are: do what is right, put people first, reach higher, focus on your customer and finally, enjoy life.

The trophy has been named for Lyle Anderson who was the founder of the Tradition tournament. Anderson’s company has hosted various events over the last 30 years and owned some very high-end golf and real estate developments. These tournaments included The Tradition, The Scottish Open and the original Skins Game. The inaugural Tradition was held in 1989 at Desert Mountain in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Tradition was held in the Grand Canyon state for 14 years before it was moved to Oregon for the following seven years. It has now found a home at Shoal Creek.

Shoal Creek is a proven venue that has previously hosted the 1984 and 1990 PGA Championship, the 1986 U.S. Amateur Championship and the 2008 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. The 7,234-yard, par 72, Jack Nicklaus designed layout provided three-stroke victories for both PGA Championship winners — Lee Trevino in 1984 and Wayne Grady in 1990. Some past champions are a list of golf’s who’s who and include: World Golf Hall of Fame members Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Raymond Floyd, Tom Kite and Tom Watson. The defending champion of the tournament, Fred Funk had a one-stroke victory over Michael Allen and Chien-soon Lu at the course at Sunriver, Oregon last August.